


Echo in His Head

by SportRayne (rayningnight)



Series: Rayne's KageHina Week 2020 [6]
Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Alternate Universe - Soulmates, KageHina Week 2020, M/M, POV Alternating, POV Hinata Shouyou, POV Kageyama Tobio, Slow Burn, Soul Bond, Telepathic Bond, day 6 - endgame
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-06-21
Updated: 2020-06-21
Packaged: 2021-03-04 01:06:52
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,691
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24835063
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/rayningnight/pseuds/SportRayne
Summary: "It doesn't matter, does it? If my soulmate doesn't like volleyball, they wouldn't be my soulmate in the first place."In a different world, they're still volleyball idiots.
Relationships: Hinata Shouyou/Kageyama Tobio
Series: Rayne's KageHina Week 2020 [6]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1789762
Comments: 1
Kudos: 54
Collections: Kagehina Week 2020





	Echo in His Head

**Author's Note:**

  * Inspired by [Haikyuu!! Soulbond Oral Not!Fic](https://archiveofourown.org/works/13305798) by [Opalsong](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Opalsong/pseuds/Opalsong), [Rhea314 (Rhea)](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Rhea/pseuds/Rhea314). 



> I'm pretty excited for this one. I have _plans._ Thank Opalsong and Rhea314 (Rhea) for the idea!

Seeing a person fly in the corner of his eye makes him stop.

Shouyou is biking to baseball practice with Azasu-kun and Takeshi-kun when he slams the brakes with the words, “Small Giant.” He doesn’t move— _cannot_ move— as he’s mesmerized by the television screen.

It’s a bit of a blur after talking with the other passerbys in front of the electronic store, but the experience itself repeats in his head like a broken tape: the _thwap!_ sound of the ball received, the Karasuno black uniform blurring up the court, and the little giant racking up point-after-point.

 _Volleyball_ , he types into the internet that night. He’s played it with classmates, of course, trying out every ball during phys. class, but— it never _resonated_ as much as it did, not until that evening. 

Something about it just—

Shouyou doesn’t have the words for it. It’s just. Fwah! Bwah!! It’s just so, so... _— Guwaa!!!_

Is this what love at first sight is like?

“But who’s gonna be our shortstop?” Takeshi-kun groans the next day during morning practice. “You’re the fastest we have, Shouchan!”

“Well,” Shouyou squirms with guilt. He’d played baseball with the little leaguers since he could run. It was a fun outlet, hitting balls far with a bat and dodging players to reach the next plate. But… Still… He’s _gotta_ play volleyball. There’s just— He’s probably _way_ behind now, wasting time with all these other sports. Baseball, soccer, basketball… He wants to be like the little giant. He wants to be even _better_ than the little giant. He wants to _fly._

But right now, he’s not even at the starting line. 

“I’ll still come! Until… Until we finish elementary! Or you get a new player. But for junior high, Mom wants me to go to Yukigaoka anyway, and they’re definitely not known for their baseball,” Shouyou finishes and sprints off ahead. He barely hears Takeshi-kun mutter something about volleyball and Yukigaoka, but by then, he’s meters away.

There’s just… _something_ about volleyball.

* * *

🏐

“But can’t you jump around in basketball? Why not join me and jump hoops?” Izumin asks on their first day at Yukigaoka and Shouyou learns about the black hole that is the boy’s volleyball club.

Seeing how he’s the _only member of the boys’ volleyball club._

(Seriously, like, what the heck? How is that possible? Volleyball’s famous enough to have a pro-league, they play it at the Olympics— how can no other boy have a passing interest? It would make sense if this was, like, cricket or something. Not _volleyball._ )

“Eh, no, those guys don’t need you!” Koutan butts in from the side with annoying cheer. “Join me in the soccer club! You made second string in elementary, so it should be easy! You’re super fast, Shouchan!”

Shouyou leans back and crosses his arms, squinting at them both. He knows they’ve both played the game before. “Volleyball isn't just about jumping! There’s like the _thwap!_ bit and _zoom!_ And the _whoosh_ bits too!” Shouyou gestures but frowns inwardly at himself. So, maybe he needs work on knowing the terms, but reacting to the ball and hitting back so that it can go in the air and sprinting to— spike! Yes, that’s the word, Shouyou nods.

“That’s just like soccer. Hit the ball so the other player can’t stop you from your goal!” 

“But you’re using your feet! It’s not the same, so basketball’s the better choice!” Suddenly, Izumin sighs. “Though, I guess you’re probably not getting any taller. In basketball, you definitely need to be tall enough to block and steal balls and shoot baskets.”

“Hey, I can jump higher than _you_ can!” Shouyou shouts. “I can definitely do more than you, Izumin!”

Koutan’s smiling at them both, sharing a look with Izumin that infuriates Shouyou as he grabs his childhood friends’ hands to head to the courts. Koutan and Izumin are the _worst._ When he finds himself on the wrong kind of sport courts, he’s fuming at being so easily manipulated. These two! They always— Gah! Ganging up on him when he least suspects it!

But! But! Hey, it’s not volleyball, but it’s still training! He’ll show them— he’ll be the highest jumper and the quickest runner and— 

Something in him pushes him forward. A fire in his belly, a wind carrying him up— Shouyou can’t put the exact words to it. There’s nothing else in the world that’s pushed off like the need to see above the net, to fly above a looming wall, and slam a ball down to mark his view like the little giant. He needs to do better. Be better.

Be better than his _best_.

When he gets home late after basketball practice — stupid Izumin jumping a _bit_ higher past his block on that second-last lay-up that Shouyou just had to prove himself — he heads up to his room with the Hinata family leftovers from dinner and eats it angrily while watching volleyball game re-runs.

Koutan and Izumin are like Shouyou and volleyball.

He’s not gonna be separated that easily!

* * *

🏐

“My parents are soulmates,” Ozora-chan says during a break in volleyball practice with the girls’ team, “and there’s that saying that children born of soulmates have it easier to find their own soulmate!”

“Really?” Shouyou asks, straightening from his stretching pose leftward to rightward and now facing her.

“Un!” Higa-chan nods in agreement next to Ozora-chan. “I heard that too! Hinata-kun… do you know anyone with a soulmate? Recently bonded?”

Shouyou hums. “I haven’t met any newly bonded. At least, I don’t think so?” He turns back into his stretch, going back to a leftward position. He stops pushing further when he finally hears the crack in his lower back. He exhales. That felt good.

“Yeah, it’s still super rare— you’re lucky, Haruchan!” she says to Ozora-chan. “I wish my parents were soulmates! I want to meet my soulmate!”

“You and everyone else,” Shouyou can see in his periphery Ozora-chan bringing her arms in and looking up to the ceiling with hearts in her eyes. “I want a tall, dark, and handsome soulmate! Someone who can sweep me off my feet! Like Tsuruga Ren in _Skip Beat!_ kyaa~!”

“I don’t really mind anyone, as long as they like me for me,” Higa-chan giggles before he hears her voice projecting his way. “What about you, Hinata-kun?”

Shouyou couldn’t really tune them out since they were right next to him, so he’d easily listened in. Why does HIga-chan always want to talk to him? Still, Shouyou doesn’t even need a moment to think and answers them honestly, “I don’t think I’d want to meet my soulmate anytime soon.”

“What?!”

“Why!?”

“Well, I still need to figure out volleyball! I don’t have time for all that soulmate stuff! Maybe when I’m finishing high school or— or after, I dunno. I’ll find my soulmate whenever, but it’s not something I wanna worry about right now. Or anywhere in the near future! I gotta practice more first!”

A hand claps him on the back and he looks up at Coach Tachibana. “That’s the proper way to think! It’s unlikely you’ll find your soulmate anyway, so it’s best to take all those sayings with a grain of salt. Now get up. I want you all to practice your serves now,” she pauses, thoughtfully. “Hinata-kun, Ozora-kun, and Narumi-kun— we’ll move you onto overhand serves today. C’mon.”

Shouyou nods along with the other girls and heads over to the volleyball cart.

Weird, Shouyou thinks to himself. Tachibana-sensei never pushed him out of the court since he showed up in the late spring of his first-year, but she never told him what to do either. Mostly, he was a hanger-on, following along stretches and generally trying not to be a nuisance so he could learn as much as he could without being thrown out.

Shaking off those thoughts, he picks up a Mikasa-emblazoned volleyball and heads over to the end of the court where Coach Tachibana stands with a ball ready. 

* * *

🏐

“Hinata-senpai, I’m sorry…” Mori whispers. Kawashima and Suzuki echo him in unison.

Shouyou smiles with a _widewidewide_ grin. “It’s okay! We tried our best, and it’ll be _your_ turn to make a come-back next year! Take Yukigaoka to _Harukou_ while right before I graduate from Yukigaoka!”

The three first years look faint at that prospect but Shouyou knows these three. They _could_ make it, if they get over themselves. Kawashima is still lanky and made of skin and bones, so Shouyou knows he’s gonna be _tall_ and blocks are going to be faster. Mori and Suzuki aren’t great at receiving, but once it’s up, they’re good at connecting the ball. Shouyou’s going to have to choose one to be the team setter and train them up with Tachibana-sensei.

He sees Koutan and Izumin stepping out of the washroom when one of the trio step forward again.

“C-Can’t you stay?” Mori asks on the next beat, with wide eyes and a tug on his own shirt.

Shouyou’s so proud! They’re really coming out of their shell. Hmm… Maybe he’ll make Mori the next captain…

“Ahha, I wish! But I’m really dumb, Mori-kun!” he scratches his cheek. “No teacher will let me stay on the team, knowing I can’t juggle grades and game practice. I’ll come to some meet-ups and help you recruit fresh blood before I graduate, but I _really_ need to improve my grades to get into Karasuno!” 

It’s super stupid that third years usually gotta quit all club activities to focus on getting high grades for testing into high school. But it’s the same in every final year. Elementary, junior high, senior high and then— well, Shouyou’s not sure if he’ll take _another_ entrance exam for university, but he’ll see what happens in high school first. Yosh!

For now, Shouyou’s more determined than ever on the present. Knowing that _jerk_ , that King of the Court, he’ll probably get into some powerhouse school like Shiratorizawa or Aoba Johsai. Shouyou definitely doesn’t have the grades to get into either of those elite academies, but _fweh!_

It’s always been Karasuno! He’ll become the next little giant and beat that bastard, Kageyama Tobio!

* * *

🏐

What the—

“Why are you here!??”

🏐

* * *

It’s not that Hinata’s _bad._ He’s just… unskillful, and kinda weak, and super short, and all-around he doesn’t have the build for any kind of volleyball attacker. 

But the midget—

“I’ll jump anywhere! I’ll hit any kind of ball, so keep on tossing it my way!”

— is there.

Tobio stares at this wide-eyed, grinning tangerine, before turning his gaze to his own hands. He’d meant to set to Tanaka, but when he heard Hinata call out his name, he instinctively recalibrated to send it to him as he saw the orange eyesore leap. A lift of his wrist, a step forward, twisting his waist to account for changing direction, before he felt the ball land on the pads of his fingertips and he already was past the point of no return— 

A quick-set, huh. 

As Tanaka gushes and Hinata flails, Tobio denies it aloud. It’s impossible. That last ball was insanity, a lottery win, not something to _recreate—_

But Hinata just won’t stop _talking_ . “...so, things like disadvantages, inability… they don’t matter to me. With this body, I’m going to fight, and win, and keep winning. _I want to stand on even more courts!”_

Tobio understands.

He thinks back to when Kazuyo was gone, and he was alone, and he still wished to stay, when he realized he _needed_ to play this game. See, the world is grey and boring. People irritate him or he irritates them, school subjects are always uninteresting, but then— then there’s volleyball. It’s soft and hard and it’s a game that makes you run quick, fly high, and stop to think. Unlike every other sport, the blend of tactics and physical ability, the thrill of hoarding points after the enemy team fails— it’s _perfect_ . When he stepped into the role as setter, the player on the net who would touch the ball the most according to his grandpa, he fell for the game hard _._ Attention-seeking spikers and wowing last-minute receives were okay enough, but setting-up the next ball, planning the opponents ruin in less than a handful of seconds, calculating enemy player positions and the ball trajectory to the spiker— 

It’s the best thing in the world and he never wants to leave.

_I still want to stand on the court._

Tobio played badly like every other beginner when he first started. But, he learned. Everyone learns. Everyone has to start _somewhere_ when they first pick up a ball, and this is no different. Hinata may have wasted his Junior High at a no-name school, but with his natural athletic ability, speed, and reflexes… Hinata is… not _bad._ As Tobio listens to that glasses-wearing, bastard blond spout about Hinata’s height and ability, he thinks back to the way Hinata jumped. Floated. Flew.

How he was already in the air and _there._

_“I’ll jump anywhere! I’ll hit any kind of ball, so keep on tossing it my way!”_

Tobio understands. 

“Clearing the wall in front of the spiker…” He mutters.

It’s trial-and-error at first. Hinata’s, again, _not bad_ . He chants that in his mind as the other boy keeps missing each toss, as his stomach feels heavier and heavier, as he eventually snaps because _how can this terrible, short, pile of pure athletic ability keep missing his perfect tosses_ and the grey-haired senpai has to step in and throws his team a bone about Hinata’s sheer ability and _Tobio’s game sense._

It’s like a lightbulb in a dark room.

And then Hinata jumps, higher and higher and _higher—_

In the air, he floats almost, hand swinging right as Tobio calculates timing and angles and snap-sets the ball into the palm of Hinata’s hand with a _bam!_

He _loves_ the sound.

Tobio learns as the match continues, as he fully integrates Suga-senpai’s advice, and pays attention to the players on _both_ sides of the court. With every receive and change in ball trajectory, Tobio is constantly aware of the entire court. It’s exhausting and thrilling and even more fun than he’s ever had since he learned how to calculate tosses.

Tanaka is moving to the edge corner in his periphery as the ball comes hurtling down, Hinata is sprinting forward, the glasses-guy is moving to mark the midget, the freckled-guy is marking Tobio, and the captain-senpai is covering the middle-back on the balls of his feet— and now the ball is finally up in the air from Tanaka and Tobio moves to get to the ball that’s just shy of short as he feels Hinata jump and he sets the ball perhaps too quickly, but Hinata ascends higher and higher andhigherandhigher— hand already swinging—

 _“Somebody even better will come and find you.”_

— _bam!_

🏐

* * *

So, they win. Somehow. Miraculously. Well, of course, if _he’s_ playing volleyball, Tobio’s team is going to win. But. He somehow won with that gangster-looking senpai and the orange goblin of annoyingness, and he will never tell a soul how surprised he still won at the end of the day.

Thanks to _Hinata_. 

He looks over at the boy in question, who’s rushing over with a clear intention, and Tobio sighs and doesn’t move as the other glomps him.

It’s the least he can allow because this idiot trusted him in the game, was _there_ for him in the game. Like. 100%, because sure he set-up the ball perfectly to match with the slam of Hinata’s hand, but the fact that Hinata never looked, never _peeked,_ until after he already hit the ball so he could see the view from the top of his highest jumps—

It’s a bit ridiculous.

“It was a bit ridiculous, but it was fun, right, Kageyama?” Hinata chirps to his side.

It was the most fun he’s had in years. But Tobio doesn’t admit to anything and pushes the doofus away from him with one arm.

“Let’s get some water!” Hinata grabs Tobio’s extended arm and hauls them both over, pointing past the gossiping trio of senpais as they’re still going over the game. Tobio allows Hinata to drag him over because he’s realizing how parched he feels as well, and he grabs a water bottle to guzzle down.

A thought occurs to him as he looks up and Hinata hasn’t let go of his arm, but he seems like they were both thinking along the same wavelength as Hinata shouts, “Tsukishima!”

Hinata lets go and throws his hand out for a handshake.

The two first-years in front of them look confused but it’s pretty obvious isn’t it?

Hinata explains, “You shake hands at the beginning and end of a match, though we didn’t at the start of today’s…” Tobio tunes Hinata out as he explains the basics, before it occurs to him to worry about the senpais watching because what if they _do_ throw them all out because they aren’t showing ‘awareness of being teammates’ and— Hinata dives for Tsukishima’s hands and it’s all Tobio can think about too, so he joins in, reaching for the bastard blond’s hand.

Tsukishima looks like he’s just been infected once Hinata and Tobio both get to his right hand, and it’s kind of hilarious. Hinata’s laughter is contagious to his left.

Turning towards him, from the corner of his eye, Tobio sees their backpacks on the floor by the benches. Then, he remembers the registration forms, and turns to go grab his. Hinata also perks up as Tobio turns, likely realizing as well to grab his form. They both run over, find their forms in tandem, before rushing over to Daichi-senpai and syncing their shout of, “Captain!”

Mysteriously, as the captain stays quiet and looks over the crinkled forms, he calls over his shoulder to the pretty manager, “Shimizu, _those_ have already come in, right?”

The manager nods, leaves, and quickly returns with a cardboard box. She looks at Tobio and Hinata speculatively, then at Tsukishima and Yamaguchi, and then hands over black jackets embroidered with _Karasuno High School Volleyball Club_ on the back in their perfect sizes.

Hinata oohs and ahhs, but Tobio pays attention to Shimizu-senpai saying, “The size will probably be fine, but tell me if there are any problems.”

It’s really official now. He’s part of the volleyball club, a high school volleyball _team_. 

It bursts out of him, echoed by Hinata who looks on the verge of tears, “Thank you!!!”

While the other two to his side bluster about putting on the jackets, Hinata jumps up and down and is basically personifying what Tobio feels on the inside, like there are fireworks bursting in his stomach and fire in his veins and it’s even better than when he established a volleyball club in junior high—

Huh?

Shaking from that strange thought, he turns to Daichi-senpai who has spoken up with a rumble, “...From now on, let’s do our best as Karasuno’s Volleyball Club!”

He cannot help the tremulous grin slowly twitching onto his face, and he locks eyes with Hinata, and it’s like they’re reading each other’s minds.

_We’re going to play volleyball on the Karasuno volleyball team!_

“...OSU!!!” they shout in unison.

🏐

* * *

* * *

#### 🏐

When his eyes land on Aoba Josai’s official setter, it’s a bit odd.

Obviously, Shouyou doesn’t know this guy. He’s tall, which immediately means he’s the enemy. Strong, muscled arms, thick calves, and a height towering a head more than Shouyou— the whole shabam, and Shouyou’s not surprised by the fangirls cheering above in the stands. Inwardly, he knows that he’s met others taller, more muscular— though, probably not as pretty, for a guy, actually— 

The guy’s face makes Shouyou feel _weird._

Maybe it’s the smug face? There’s just something about him that makes Shouyou feel angry enough to punch a wall and yet when he sees Oikawa grin over at Karasuno, he also feels the need to watch the guy’s every movement at a respectable distance.

He knows in his bones how dangerous Oikawa is. How _good_ this pretty boy is at volleyball, even before Kageyama says his old senpai was a force to be reckoned with. A master of killer serves, an all-round, _amazing_ player. So, it’s unsurprising when they cannot receive Oikawa serves at first. But it happens another time, and now two points are _gone,_ and Oikawa announces how bad at receiving Tsukishima and Shouyou are, and and and— and it _grates,_ because he _knows_ how bad he is, okay? Shouyou’s eyes see more than his body can do, and it _sucks_ that he can’t just _predict_ it and just move when he can.

But then— 

He can. He pictures it.

When the next serve comes at them, at Shouyou, too fast for Noya-senpai to butt in because Shouyou’s in the way— it’s like an out-of-body experience. He _feels_ himself, in third person, and knows where he needs to go, wishes he could go there, to angle his body just-so, and his physical reflexes bond with the sudden knowledge and with seconds to prepare, he reflexively, instinctively, _miraculously_ receives Oikawa’s serve with a stinging bump.

Shouyou’s eyes widen.

Kageyama quickly mobilizes to connect the ball as nearly everyone gawks, and Shouyou would've been gawking with the rest of them, but he knows Kageyama’s surprised too and that didn't stop _him_ , because it doesn't excuse the fact they’re in the middle of a volleyball match and these seconds matter, and so he’s sprinting because _he needs to be in the air already!_

Shouyou leaps as Kageyama gets the ball.

The wall before him is growing, hands reaching, but they’re too slow, too far, too behind. He sees an opening right between Kunimi and Kindaichi.

Shouyou windmills his arm, eyes closing as he hears Kageyama set the ball at full velocity. 

There’s a satisfying sting in his palm as he opens his eyes once he hits the ball, and the sunlight filtering through the upper windows illuminate the spike too fast for Kunimi or Kindaichi to react to. The wall of hands now climbs Hinata’s sight as he descends from the beautiful view from the top.


End file.
